Top 15 Cape Town Island Hopping Tours

1.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Guided Prison Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 1,792 reviews · 4 hours · from $79Our pick

Meet at the Nelson Mandela Gateway, skip the ticket-buying line, and take a shared ferry to Robben Island. A bus tour covers the island before a former political prisoner leads you through the prison, including Nelson Mandela’s cell. English guides, return ferry, and museum entry are included.

“Nice tour to Robben Island by ferry. Ferry was fully enclosed and quite crowded. Once on the island after about a 45 minute ride, we boarded a bus with an ex-prisoner guide who provided details about the buildings and life on the island. After an hour we were dropped at the prison and did about an hour of walking and understanding of life inside by another ex-prisoner. The tour provided a very moving explanation of what actually happened to those who disagreed with segregation, and the goals of the Government to try to silence them.”

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2.Robben Island Ferry Tour with 1-Way Hotel Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 1,380 reviews · 5 hours · from $71

Ride the ferry from Cape Town to Robben Island, tour the island by bus, and visit the prison with a former prisoner as your guide. Hotel pickup covers central Cape Town and nearby districts. The tour lasts about five hours, but ferry delays and waiting time can stretch the day.

“Definitely a 5 star... and something that I believe everyone that visits Cape Town needs to experience. We are grateful for our guide which has shared such an intimate and difficult experience with us.”

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3.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Townships Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 400 reviews · from $89

Start with District Six and Langa, then see Bonteheuwel and Gugulethu before taking the ferry to Robben Island. Local guides such as Sam, Mpumzi, Luyolo, and Shake explain apartheid, daily life, local beer, schools, hostels, and community life. The day ends at the V&A Waterfront, not your hotel.

“The tour excellently displayed the social and socioeconomic inequalities that exist in post-apartheid Cape Town.”

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4.Robben Island Ferry with Prison Ticket and Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 324 reviews · 3h 30m · from $90

Travel from the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, tour the lime quarry and Robert Sobukwe’s house, then enter the maximum-security prison and Mandela’s former cell. An English-speaking guide and former political prisoner bring the island’s past to life over 210 minutes.

“The Island tour was particularly good but both tours were very rushed, very little time for questions or photographs.”

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5.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Guided Prison Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 160 reviews · from $69

Take a shared 30-minute ferry from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, then tour the island by bus and visit Nelson Mandela’s cell with a former political prisoner. Expect a moving four-hour visit, shared groups, open-sea weather risks, and no hotel transfers.

“First, I have to rave about the ex-inmate who led our tour. He was fascinating. Very open to questions, and entertaining. We were so lucky to meet him. Our bus tour guide on the island was also excellent and funny. Everything on the island was well orchestrated and ran smoothly—we were very impressed and touched by the tour. Now for the downside. Our tour was originally booked for the day before. It was cancelled at the last moment due to wind (do not schedule a tour for 5pm and risk this problem). We managed to reschedule for the following day. We arrived at the ferry building and went to board.…”

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6.Robben Island ferry ticket with guided tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 61 reviews · 4 hours · from $74

Travel from the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island on a 30-minute ferry, then tour the island and maximum-security prison with an English-speaking former political prisoner. See Mandela’s cell, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, and other important sites before returning by ferry.

“The tour itselfnis amazing. Is a must see. Guides are actually ex prisoners from the jail. The oegsnizstion was not so good, we had the tour for 9 AM but it got cancelled with no notice and we had to reschedule it.”

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7.Robben Island ferry ticket plus Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.3 · 37 reviews · 4 hours · from $71

Take a 30-minute ferry from the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island, then tour the island by bus and visit the maximum-security prison with an English-speaking former political prisoner. See the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, and Nelson Mandela’s cell.

“Such an interesting visit with guides with personal knowledge of Robben Island, and an inspiring message of unity and forgiveness. Quite different from the horror stories that are often told in places like this and from a person with much to resent”

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8.Robben Island Boat Trip & Museum Tour Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 28 reviews · 4 hours · from $84

Take the 30-minute ferry from the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, tour the island by bus, and visit Nelson Mandela’s cell with an English-speaking guide who was once imprisoned there. Allow extra time for delays, bring your passport or ID copy, and expect a serious, sometimes crowded museum visit.

“teuer. schwierig zu verstehen. viel Vortrag und viel stehen. Bootsfahrt eingepfercht. Boot war nicht gut, im Innern bei viel Wellengsng und wenig Fenstern”

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9.Cape Town Half-Day Robben Island Tour with Ferry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews · from $66Best value

You’ll ride from your Cape Town hotel to the Nelson Mandela Gateway, cross by ferry to Robben Island, and tour the prison with a former inmate guide. The package includes ferry entry, island admission, bottled water, and return transport, with free time at the V&A Waterfront.

“Very helpful pick up driver who was sensitive to a mobility issue. Made logistics easy with ticket purchase and escort to the ferry. The tour of the island was guided by an excellent story teller and the guide of the Mandela cell was helpful. Powerful experience.”

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10.Robben Island Museum Tour with Transfer and Ferry Tickets.

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 10 reviews · 5 hours · from $81

This five-hour Cape Town outing combines hotel pickup, a ferry ride, and a guided Robben Island visit. You will see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell and hear island history, including daily life from a former prisoner. English guidance, Wi-Fi, bottled water, and wheelchair access are included.

“For 600 Rand you can buy ferry and museum tickets online or at the ferry. The ferry service gets you there and back and the staff on Robben Island provide the tour. For twice the price (and that seems to be the going rate for these “tour” companies advertising online) they bought my tickets for me. No guide met me at the ferry to make sure I boarded and no one came along. I was on my own with all the people who paid just 600 Rand. So I asked the “tour” company, what’s the value added you provide to justify charging twice the price. Haven’t heard back from them.”

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11.Boulders Beach Penguins and Seal Island Boat Trip Half Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 9 reviews · from $75

Spend three to four hours with a guide such as Raphael, Jacques, or Chris, visiting Boulders Beach’s endangered African penguins, cruising from Hout Bay to Seal Island, and stopping at Chapman’s Peak. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, but park and boat fees cost extra.

“Great experience. Cape Town and surrounding areas were a mess due to cycle race. Our driver did a great job giving us a fantastic tour. Due to fog our ship was two hours late so were we, Jacques waited and gave us the entire tour, even though we were late.”

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12.Robben Island Nelson Mandela’s Prison Museum + Township Tour incl Ferry Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $196Top rated

Spend about eight hours visiting Robben Island and Langa Township with hotel pickup, ferry tickets, an African lunch, and an air-conditioned vehicle. You’ll see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell, visit Guga S’thebe Cultural Centre, and explore township life with a local guide such as Remmy or Remi.

“Remmy was a fantastic guide during our trip to Robben Island and to the Township of Langa. We learned so much about the history of South Africa and had fun while doing it. Remmy was knowledgeable and very kind. He introduced us to ZamRead more”

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13.Robben Island Ferry and Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 7 reviews · 1 hour · from $109

Take the ferry from the V&A Waterfront to Robben Island, then tour the prison with a former political prisoner. You’ll see Nelson Mandela’s cell, the prison yard, and the limestone quarry, with chances to spot penguins, seals, and seabirds. French help requires advance request and an extra fee.

“visite annulée par l'organisateur avec proposition de remboursement non encore exécuter ce jour. Je lui envoyé un mail de rappel voici 15 jours mais toujours pas de réponse.Si nécessaire je vous envoie copie des divers mails. Merci pour votre intervention. M Corvers”

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14.Robben Island Ferry Ticket and Guided Prison Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 7 reviews · 4 hours · from $87

From Cape Town CBD, Kono Tours takes you to the Nelson Mandela Gateway, then across Table Bay to Robben Island. A bus tour covers the island before a former political prisoner leads the prison visit, including Mandela’s cell and the limestone quarry. Hotel pickup is included within the CBD.

“as my hotel was close it was proposed to walk by myself or get pick up 1,5h before the ferry. when asked for drop off instead of pick up i got told that there was a system issue which is why i paid less than supposed to? in the end i got the ticket via whatsapp and made it there myself, same as if i had booked directly at the website but more expensive”

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15.Nelson Mandela’s Robben Island Prison Museum Cape Town City Tour + Ferry Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $171

Spend about eight hours tracing Cape Town’s apartheid-era story and colonial past. You’ll visit Robben Island, District Six Museum, Bo-Kaap, Company’s Garden, and the Castle of Good Hope, with ferry tickets, entry fees, bottled water, and air-conditioned transport included. Guides such as Remmy and Kuda may lead the day.

“We booked the trip on-line. Unfortunately everything went wrong ! Nobody met us at the pick up rendez-vous. We angrily called RAW tours…. Remy answered the phone and quickly calmed us down. They missed the booking, but a true test of a Read more”

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